Comedy Month Short Films

It’s the month of mirth with the NZ International Comedy Festival hitting our shores. Here at Show Me Shorts we love a good guffaw. We are always on the lookout for more funny short films to add to our festival collections. It seems that in the world of shorts at least – dying is easy, comedy is hard. Luckily the three following filmmakers show how it’s done.

Here we present three short films that will grab your attention with a bold concept: a wooden dummy, a time machine and a bangin’ sound track. Not to mention characters filled out beautifully with humour and heart. It will be hard stifling the chortles in the office while you watch these films.

Roger

A popular hit at the 2016 edition of the Show Me Shorts Short Film Festival, Roger is all the more enjoyable the more you buy into the bonkers plot. The story sees Stephen (Seann Walsh) return home from Mongolia only to find his best mate Roy (John Bradley) has replaced him with a ventriloquist’s dummy named Roger.

John Bradley is well-known for providing comic relief as Samwell Tarly on Game of Thrones. He further demonstrates his comedy chops here, alongside stand-up comedian Seann Walsh – who funnels the audience’s disbelief.

Roger has been selected for festivals around the world, and picked up a Best Comedy award at the Southampton Film Festival. Director and co-writer Brendan Cleaves has further crafted this gorgeous short into a feature film script, which he hopes to make soon.

One-Minute Time Machine

This comedy short from the 2014 edition of Show Me Shorts is a kind-of Groundhog Day meets Doctor Who. Writer Sean Crouch delivered British director Devon Avery a script most directors would die for (at a push of a button) – imaginative, sexy, funny and so cheap to make. This simple two-hander takes place entirely on a park bench, yet boldly tackles the time-travel paradox.

Brian Dietzen and familiar American actress Erinn Hayes sizzle on screen together, with exaggerated facials and unpredictable responses that play up the comedic aspects of the story. Kudos to Avery’s editing skills too – the comedic timing is perfect and leaves you wanting more.

With a budget of just $1,000 yet now almost five million views on YouTube, One-Minute Time Machine shows how a killer premise can be successfully realised.

Mixtape Marauders

There’s nothing I love more than creating a mixed CD for a crush (yup old people still do that). In Mixtape Marauders we follow friends Patrick and Cheech who have a neurotic appreciation of the dying art of the mix-tape. This nostalgic short is an audiovisual feast featuring an anthology of interlinked stories, and nine cracking tracks.

Director Peter Edlund co-wrote Mixtape Marauders with his brother Ian – who also stars as Cheech. The characters take us on a ride as they smoke weed, survive mindless jobs and debate the merits of Usher. Their humorous banter becomes more heartfelt throughout the story, reminding us how music helps get us through the tough times. The film channels the best of original slacker Richard Linklater, and there are shades of Edgar Wright too, especially in the opening sequence.

Author

Clayton is a promo director for Sky TV, with a passion for film, sports, playing dress-ups, and all things competitive. He's part of the programming team for Show Me Shorts, and edits our trailer each year.